The nouns, locale and location, have basically the same meaning, with a slight difference. Location usually means a specific place, such as “on the corner of the table” or “37 South Main Street”—but this is only a tendency; location can mean any place, of any kind. Locale usually describes an area near some landmark or event, such as […]

These words are closely related. Material, the much more common word, has many uses. In general, material (adjective or noun) describes the physical, versus mental, spiritual, or abstract—or it means relevant or important. As a noun, material can mean: any physical substance that of which something is composed, whether physical or not: His theory is […]

Loop is a common English noun and verb, while loupe is a French word, rarely used in English, where it has two rather special, narrow, meanings. A loop (noun) is a shape or path similar to a circle, and to loop (verb) means either “to move in a loop,” or “to use a loop,” such as a loop of […]

Both of these adjectives are formed from the verb tolerate, which means “allow, permit, or endure “—i.e. “not resist, not oppose.” Intolerable (in-toler-able) therefore describes something which cannot or will not be allowed or endured—anything, from personalities to physical forces: I find television intolerable; it is a waste of time at best, stupefying at worst. Rockets […]

Luxuriant and luxurious, both adjectives, have almost the same meaning—they are interchangeable in most cases, but there is a subtle difference. Luxurious means “characterized by luxury” while luxuriant means “characterized by luxury or abundance.” (Luxury is a noun meaning “a situation of great wealth and comfort”—such as living in a big house, eating fine foods, and sleeping in comfortable […]